What Causes Frequent Malaria And Typhoid Fever

There are some groups of people that are frequently down with malaria or typhoid fever. In most cases, it is a combination of malaria and typhoid fever. They feel well after treatment but get reinfected in no distant time.

Mosquito

Both typhoid and malaria share rather similar symptomatology and epidemiology. Nigeria is endemic for both these diseases and one should not be too surprised when faced with a diagnosis of co-infection of typhoid and malaria, as have been described in India and Canada.

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Typho Malaria was first described by an army doctor, J J Woodward (1833–1884) in 1862. However, by the end of the 19th century, laboratory tests had eliminated this theory as they found that it was either one thing or the other, or in rare instances, co-infection with both S. typhi and the plasmodium of malaria.

Causes Of Malaria And Typhoid Fever

Malaria and typhoid fever are caused by very different organisms. Malaria is by protozoa via the bite of an insect vector, mosquito. It takes about two weeks from a bite from an infected mosquito to clinical signs and symptoms.

Five species of malarial parasites infect humans (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi). P. vivax is the most common worldwide; P. falciparum is responsible for the most severe disease.

Typhoid fever is an acute systemic infection caused by a Gram negative bacilli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Salmonella enterica serovars Paratyphi A, B, and C cause the clinically similar condition, paratyphoid fever. Typhoid and Paratyphoid fevers are collectively referred to as enteric fevers. Typhoid is transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food and water. Typhoid fever is almost instantly from the period of contamination.

Causes Of Frequent Malaria And Typhoid Fever

The major cause of infection of malaria and typhoid fever is exposure to the infection. Regularly getting bitten by mosquitoes in endemic areas and poor hygiene is a sure way to get both infections frequently. The drugs for the treatment of both do not stay in the body to fight off future infection. Clearance of the drug from the body is within some weeks.

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However, there are people who use insecticide mosquito treatment nets to prevent mosquito bite and keep good hygiene. They still wonder how the infection came about. The answer is simple.

Most people in Nigeria have partial immunity to malaria and typhoid. Their body system was able to develop this from previous infection. They hardly develop clinical symptoms.

This cannot be said of some groups of people. Their immune response is very low. They may get just a bite from an infected mosquito and develop clinical symptoms. This can happen even in broad daylight in their place of work or where they went to. They may not notice the bite. Also, our source of water can be trusted even when it is bottled water. Moreover, they eat from public restaurants.

How To Prevent Malaria And Typhoid

Prevention of malaria has always been the use of insecticide mosquito treated nets. Others are the use of window nets, door nets, insect repellent cream, insecticide, sleeping with clothes, etc.

Typhoid depends on hygiene. However, these may not be enough. You need to build up immunity.

A simple way to build immunity against malaria and typhoid fever is to eat a healthy diet and live a healthy lifestyle.

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Food includes vegetables and fruits such as oranges, apples, pineapples, etc. They contain a lot of balanced vital vitamins and minerals which are known to build up the immune system. Lifestyle changes include reduction of alcohol consumption (moderation), exercise, avoiding smoking, etc.

There are also drugs in the form of supplements that can help boost body immunity and defense against malaria and typhoid. Vitamin A and zinc are crucial for normal immune function, and may play a synergistic role for reducing the risk of infection including malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Some supplements contain specific immune booster that can also help.